Packages
by alaskatrailmutt
Summary: Cloud gives Tifa a gift. Post movie. Drabble.


_I don't own anything, not trying to steal any of the rightful characters from the owners, all that lovely disclaimer stuff._

The light filtered in the broken celling of the church; impersonating the many haunting angles from the memories the slum resident held captive in his heart. Dust and sand, crushed from the stone floor and tracked inside day to day, hung glinting, almost smoky, in the beams of light rising on the warmer air current like a gentle hand guiding the particles upward. In the shadows, hidden under the soft glowing light, sat a SOILDER. He sat to make himself small; self-contained in a world of thought and emotion, just as dark as the contrasting shadow. The floor was cool and damp; frigid compared to the warm, sunlit air, just above the figure.

Living in the slum church was a type of self-punishment, and self-relief. Cloud didn't want to let anyone know he was sick, incurable. Not only was his body sick, but his mind was ill. Cloud was ill, his heart, his will-power, his mind. Some weeks as many were two, three days would pass with the sun, and he would lie. Lay and stare at the wall, the missing roof, sky leaking in, hoping nothing would happen. The ringing of his phone would echo across the pews. Cloud pretended he was busy and did not return the calls. The ringing made his head crack open, the shrill sound hurting the silence and the man.

"I'm getting up…." Cloud had to say to himself a phrase to actually get up from sleeping, moping, and denying. Each day it because a little harder to rise. Cloud knew he was depressed, yet he didn't really mind anymore. Today he had to face Tifa, because he neglected to the last three weeks. He had to face her sometime, might as well be today.

Tifa worked each day at the Seventh Heaven bar, where the customers where too many and the food supply too few. Between her and Marlene, most of the table-waiting work and washing work was covered. Cloud said he had been working the past three-weeks. It was probably a lie and she knew that. Tifa wanted Cloud to get over whatever was wrong with him. He wasn't doing a very good job fighting it alone, by himself. A cream mug was in her left hand, smooth, tapper at the top. Tifa shlooped a wet rag into the mug. The action calmed her when the door opened. Scuction in the cup matched the pressure in the room.

The past three letdowns had not been Cloud. So Tifa told herself not to expect anything, or even for Cloud to come at all. The air filtering around the figure was cooler and outlined the figure sharply, intensifying the light. She noticed first spike of soft blonde hair. The next thing she noticed was Clouds down tilted head, shameful, guilty. His boots softly shuffled against the swept floor. Softer still, Cloud turned shutting the door, which he faced a beat before facing his family.

Their actions lied out before him, and he surveyed the course like a battle-field. Denzel smiling, almost tripping over himself to run at Cloud in admiration. Tifa hesitant, carefully contained joy trying to hide under a blank expression, eyes lying the truth. Marlene was torn between hugging Cloud out of relief, and staying by Tifa. Cloud looked to Tifa, her reaction mattered most, with his arms slack around Denzle. Tears pooled in Tifa's eyes, before quickly being blinked away.

Denzel prattled out at Cloud, but stopped when Cloud's eyes softened. Denzel noticed Tifa trying not to cry. The brunet boy finished his, glad-your-homes, and took Marlene outside. Obviously, some talking was going to be done and Denzel knew it needed to be between adults. The café almost literally darkened when the children left. Tifa sat down the mug, throwing the rag on the counter with a defying smack. Should she be angry, sad, happy, all three? Raising her head Tifa attempted to look smug, eyes glinting before her plan shattered meeting Cloud's eyes.. Cloud closed the distance between them in small, evenly paced strides.

"Cloud…" Enough, his name was enough, to convey every emotion Tifa felt and ever could anguish over the man. Cloud hugged her and she reset her head at his collar bone, talking into him. "I missed you. I was worried. You never called! Do you even care how sick I am worrying about everyone? Denzel, you, Marlene…!" He tightened his arms around her waist. "I know. I'm sorry, Tifa." Cloud whispered the words into her dark hair and kissed the top of her head. "You… Shouldn't have…To balance all this…" Tifa knew Cloud wouldn't stay even if she wanted him to, and she didn't bring it up. "Cloud…I needed you." "I know…" Cloud would never say she needed her also, once you needed someone, they went away.

Inside the kitchen sheltered by the absent warrior, she cried. Long tears falling onto her partner's chest. All he could do was hold Tifa, and listen. He knew she only cried when he came to the café, and when he left. Five-mintues passe0d and Cloud scooped up Tifa before setting her gently on the unmade bed up stairs next to the childern's room. Cloud turned to leave and Tifa caught his hand, bottom lip trembling, "Pl-lease d-don't leave Cloud…" Her fingers, ungloved, tightened around worn, soft leather gloves.

"I…" Cloud voice was barely audible, just over a whisper. As loud as breathing. "I left something in Fenrir….I…" He tightened his returning grip and kissed her forehead before ghosting outside. Soft footfalls descended the stairs, resending ten minutes later. Cloud nudged open the door left ajar with a mug in his now un-gloved hand, and a package in the other. "I finished the dishes for you and Marlene…I'm sorry I don't….usually do them…" I'm sorry I'm never around to do them, was really what he ment. Tifa was siting back against he wall, hand reaching for the mug. "That's for me?" Cloud smirked, did she mean the drink or the package? "They both are, yeah." He nodded.

Tifa closed her fingers around the warriors hand holding the mug for a moment before taking the drink. The cup was warm, but he had obviously left it sit before giving it to her so that it wasn't too hot to drink. Cloud did little things like that; she didn't know exactly why. It wasn't to say she was too dumb not to burn herself, like a kid, but not because he loved her. Maybe it was just how he did things for himself and thus, how he did for her. He set the brown paper package on her lap, it was square about the size of a notebook, the width of a text book. What was it? Cloud coughed before speaking, "Its from Yuffie…." Almost immediately she was disappointed. What had she been hoping for?

Cloud continued, "This is from….me…" Out of his pocked was a box, twice as big as a cellphone, wrapped in white paper with a blue ribbon. "why did you bother to get me something?" the words came out wrong, accusing not thankful. As if slapped, Cloud turned away. A hand was rested on his arm. Tifa sighed before pulling his shoulder in closer to her, further from the door. "Watch me open it?" Tifa figure he would say no, because he didn't mind giving, he mind the receiving, rarely did he watch. Cloud leveled his head, conversing with his eyes, he didn't want to watch but, he would- since she wanted it.

The mug was set on the table slightly sliding across the maple surface. The light was dull and even in the room due to overcast clouds in the sky. The bows loops where hand tied, and the ribbion was lighter material in the middle, giving it a striped appearance. Two darker stripes of royal blue, a sandwiched striped of mako blue. Lightling tugging it came undone and unwrapping it from the top and bottom corners she set it gently on the covers underneath her. Cloud brought me something, she thought, it's not my birthday or a package so…what is it? Lightly she tore open the white paper, holding her breath. Cloud's hand covered hers, and the gift, before she could see it. "If you…don't act like…." He dropped his eyes before removing his hand. Words from the past few months came to her, "Ive treid to restart my life so many times before….this time youll be at my side always….do you love me Cloud?...Go back to our normal lives….well have to find one, theres one out there somewhere for us…well repay our sins…by living…" And she uncovered her hand.

In the box, was a notepad and a pen. A chocobo pattern ribbon was tied around the paper was a vanilla cream color, with a small chocobo at the top right hand corner, about the size of a dime. The pen was a black click pen with a fasten to stick to a shirt. Tifa looked up confused, yet somehow relived. "What…?" Her mind worked to put it together. "Is it for the bar? To write orders on…?" Cloud looked past her face, at the wall behind her, "y….yeah I….thought maybe…..it could help….? Marlene...uhm….chocobos are cute to girls….right?" Cloud's cheeks became red and started blushing around the bridge of his nose. "I….uhm…" "Is it because everyone from back then, our family said your hair…?" Tifa started laughing, tears streaming down her face. Cloud tried to talk around the lump in his throat, "I didn't mean to make you sad…Tifa…" He reached out to her. "No, no" She shook her head, "this is so cute, Marlene will love it, I love it cloud. Thank-you." Leaning forward she hugged Cloud, who was embarrassed beyond belief.


End file.
